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Glite Dictionary
dizygous

dizygous

9.9
Twins who come from two separate eggs each fertilized by a different sperm
  • adjective
  • /ˌdaɪˈzaɪɡəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dizigótico
  • In a dizygous pregnancy, each twin develops from a separate fertilized egg.

Examples

  • Fraternal twins are also known as dizygous twins in medical literature.

  • Are your twins dizygous or identical?

  • The probability of having dizygous twins is influenced by both genetics and the mother's age.

  • The couple had dizygous twins last year.

  • Fraternal twins are also known as dizygous twins in medical literature.

  • In a dizygous pregnancy, each twin develops from a separate fertilized egg.

  • The probability of having dizygous twins is influenced by both genetics and the mother's age.

Synonyms

fraternal
vsdizygous
  • Specialized
7 5.9

Twins who come from two different eggs and are not identical

is the more technical scientific label for that same twin type
dizygotic
vsdizygous
  • Specialized
1 9.1

Twins born from two different eggs fertilized by two different sperm and so not identical

is the alternative technical form with identical meaning
nonfraternal
vsdizygous
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Twins born from different eggs who are not identical

is the affirmative single word scientific term rather than a negated phrase

Surface Forms

dizygous positive

Morphology

dizygous = zygous (transparent) = di + zyg + ous

Formed by the productive prefix 'di-' (two) added to 'zygous' (pertaining to a zygote), so the meaning 'from two zygotes' is compositionally clear.

Etymology

Dizygous comes from the parts di- 'two' and zygote 'fertilized egg'. So dizygous describes twins that come from two separate fertilized eggs, which is why it means 'fraternal'.